Small Number of Supplements Found to Contain the Stimulant BMPEA

A new study has found the synthetic stimulant, beta-methylphenethylamine (BMPEA), in a small number of dietary supplements labeled as containing the plant extract, Acacia rigidula. The World Anti-Doping Agency has classified BMPEA as a banned substance, and there does not appear to be evidence of BMPEA’s safety in humans. Published in the journal Drug Testing and Analysis, the study tested 21 products that listed Acacia rigidula as an ingredient. Of those 21 products, researchers found that 11 (52%) of them contained BMPEA; however, 6 of the 11 products appear to be manufactured by one company that has repeatedly been in legal trouble with the FTC and the FDA.

This study follows an investigation done by the FDA over a year ago, which also discovered BMPEA in supplements containing Acacia rigidula. The Council for Responsible Nutrition, a leading supplement industry trade group, urges the FDA to use its wide-ranging authority to take immediate enforcement action against companies selling these contaminated products. Under federal law, the FDA has several ways in which it can deal with contaminated supplements; for example, the FDA can demand a product recall, declare products to be misbranded, declare products to be adulterated, or bring civil and criminal cases.